There can be formal and informal sanctions. Informal negative sanctions: examples

Depending on the nature of the sanctions that are applied to the deviant, styles of formal social control are distinguished.

1. Punishing (moralistic) style of social control .

This style aims to punish deviants who violated the foundations of society. Moreover, the maximum punishment is provided. Applies to a violator who has committed a deliberate act (most often a crime).

The peculiarity of this style is that it does not compensate the victim of deviant behavior. Justice is administered on the basis of moral justice.

Society has the main dominant values, the violation of which leads only to punitive action ( human life, property, etc.). But, in those societies where there are no clearly fixed core values, deviant actions do not entail punitive sanctions. For example, in archaic societies the central values ​​are religious. Severe punitive sanctions follow for violations of taboos and family traditions. At the same time, there will be no punitive sanctions for murder for attempted property destruction.

In highly developed societies there is a very large concentration of values ​​- there are many of them.

Such social institution, as a state, gravitates towards a punitive style of social control. The most terrible act in the state is considered treason or high treason and entails the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The intensity of the punitive style of social control is the opposite of social distance.

Social distance – the degree of closeness between people. The main characteristics of social distance are: frequency of relationships, their type (formal or informal), intensity of relationships (degree of emotional inclusion) and their duration, as well as the nature of the connection between people (relationships prescribed or non-prescribed).

The greater the social distance between the deviant and the agent of social control, the greater the role moral rules play. For example, the relatives of a murderer are inclined to forgive his act, provided that this does not happen again in the future.

The punitive style of social control is inversely proportional to the relationship between the crime victim and the agent of social control. If the victim is close in social distance to the agent of social control, then the response to the crime will be harsh (for example, in the USA, for the murder of a police officer, the criminal will most often be killed by the police during arrest).

Social control is usually of two types - top-down and bottom-up.

Top-down social control – from top to bottom, when the group occupying a higher position social status, controls the group occupying a lower position.

Bottom-up social control – from bottom to top - inferior control their superiors (system public opinion to Zapa de).

The punitive style of social control is always top-down. Offenses against those higher up on the social ladder are punished more harshly.

The punitive style of social control is directly proportional to social inequality. How poorer man, the harsher the punishment.

The punitive style of social control is in turn divided into several types:

1) Open punishment– the response of authorized bodies to the act of a deviant in accordance with the rules of law.

2) Hidden punishment(informal control) - the group itself can punish its member for any offense (especially common in criminal cultures).

3) Indirect answer– mental illness can be a response to an insult.

4) Suicide– self-punishment (self-control).

2. Compensatory style of social control.

Compensating style - coercive style of social control : the offender compensates for the damage caused to the victim. Most often this is financial compensation. After compensation for material damage is provided, the situation is considered resolved and the deviant is punished.

In this style, the main attention is paid to the result of the offense, and it does not matter whether there was intent in committing the offense or not. The focus of this style is always the victim and it is she who is given more attention.

In compensating style there is usually a third party, which forces compensation (arbitrator, lawyer, court, etc.).

The compensating style is not used in cases of murder, treason, terrorism - the punitive style is always used here. Sometimes a punitive style can be combined with a compensatory one (for example, a prison sentence for a crime with an additional penalty - confiscation of property).

Compensating style applies to medium to long social distance. Any close relationship interferes with the compensatory style. For example, neighbors rarely pay compensation for damage caused, since close ties that exist between people can be severed, and if close ties are broken, they are never renewed, especially if a third party is involved - the court. Compensation is rarely paid between friends.

With top-down control, the compensatory style is very rare, since often the violator with a lower status does not have enough funds to pay compensation, moreover, compensation seems to equalize the superior with the inferior, so compensation is rare or even impossible (for example, in a feudal society, if a commoner killed a feudal lord, then a punitive style was used, since compensation equated the feudal lord with a commoner). In bottom-up social control, compensation is paid. (Rich and famous person, going to prison loses his social status, so he pays off).

The modern world is more prone to a compensatory style of social control than to a punitive one (lawyers on both sides of a trial tend to reach an agreement before the trial and the responsible party pays damages to the victim; if there is no serious offense, then it rarely comes to imprisonment, which explains the development of the institution of lawyers in the West ).

In our country, this style has very little effect due to the legal illiteracy of citizens and high fees for legal services.

3. Therapeutic style of social control.

This style is not aimed at punishment, but at changing the personality of the deviant and consists of a psychotherapy procedure - this is, as it were, a symbolic change in the personality of the deviant.

This style only applies if the deviant agrees to therapy.(violent therapy is a punitive style).

Here there is an attempt by the psychotherapist (or analyst) to resolve intrapersonal problems, help the individual improve, reevaluate his behavior, return the person to society and teach him to live in accordance with the norms.

Agents of the therapeutic style are psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, and religious figures. For example, in religion, an individual’s guilt for misdeeds is completely removed and this helps the person adapt to the situation.

Within this style, the behavior of the deviant is of great importance. If a person's behavior cannot be explained, he is considered not entirely normal and a therapeutic style of social control is applied to him. In the Criminal Code there is such a thing as sanity: a person who is mentally insane at the time of the crime does not bear criminal liability.

Therapeutic social control is inversely related to social distance. If a father beats his family, they will think he is sick. If parents beat their children, they are advised to see a psychiatrist rather than law enforcement agencies being invited. The greater the social distance between the deviant and the victim, the more inclined they are to consider the person a criminal rather than a sick person.

4. Regulatory style of social control.

The goal of the regulatory style is to regulate the relationship between the deviant and the victim of deviant behavior and bring them to harmony. It is used when there is a violation of relations between two parties: between two individuals, between an individual and an organization, between organizations. This style does not provide the injured party with either moral or material compensation.

Nowadays, the regulatory style is quite widespread. It operates in the area of ​​family relations; in cases of conflicts between students and teachers; between schoolchildren and teachers; between employees at the enterprise, etc. Applies when both parties are rooted in a group where there is a long-term and overlapping relationship; when both parties belong to the same kinship group (if there are no selfish interests); when a group lives in one place for a long time (Russian peasant community).

The effect of the regulatory style is directly proportional to the equality of the parties. The two parties must be equal in social status; Only the positional “husband-wife, children-parents” is allowed. It is almost impossible to regulate relations between representatives of different social groups.

The regulatory style is widespread among organizations. It is very difficult for organizations to punish because... they have multiple intersecting connections. At the beginning of the twentieth century, trade unions emerged in Europe. With their advent, the regulatory style among organizations became dominant. Business owners can communicate with unions without feeling humiliated.

One way or another, each of us depends on the society in which he exists. Of course, this does not manifest itself in the complete conformity of certain individuals, because everyone has their own opinion and view on this or that issue. However, very often the public is able to influence the behavior of an individual, shape and change his attitude towards his own actions. This phenomenon is characterized by the ability of certain representatives of society to respond to something with the help of sanctions.

They can be very different: positive and negative, formal and informal, legal and moral, and so on. This largely depends on what exactly the individual’s action is.

For example, for many of us, informal positive sanction is the most rewarding. What is its essence? First of all, it is worth saying that positive things can be like informal sanctions, and formal. The first ones take place, for example, at a person’s place of work. The following example can be given: office worker concluded several profitable deals - his superiors gave him a certificate for this, promoted him and gave him a raise wages. This fact was recorded in certain documents, that is, officially. Therefore, in this case we see a formal positive sanction.

Actually, an informal positive sanction

However, in addition to official approval from superiors (or the state), a person will receive praise from his colleagues, friends, and relatives. This will manifest itself in verbal approval, shaking hands, hugs, and so on. Thus, society will give informal positive sanction. It does not manifest itself in material terms, but for most individuals it is more significant than even an increase in wages.

There are a huge number of situations in relation to which informal positive sanctions can be applied. Examples will be given below.

Thus, it can be seen that this type encouraging the actions of one or another individual most often manifests itself in simple everyday situations.

However, as in the case of salary increases, formal positive sanctions can coexist with informal ones. For example, a person received it during combat operations. Along with official praise from the state, he will receive approval from others, universal honor and respect.

So, we can say that formal and informal positive sanctions can be applied to the same act.

INFORMAL SANCTIONS

- English sanctions, informal; German Sanctionen, unformale. Spontaneous, emotionally charged reactions of the immediate environment (friends, neighbors, relatives) to an individual’s behavior that deviates from social behavior. expectations.

Antinazi. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2009

See what “INFORMAL SANCTIONS” are in other dictionaries:

INFORMAL SANCTIONS- English sanctions, informal; German Sanctionen, unformale. Spontaneous, emotionally charged reactions of the immediate environment (friends, neighbors, relatives) to an individual’s behavior that deviates from social behavior. expectations... Explanatory dictionary of sociology

Reactions of a social group (society, work collective, public organization, friendly company etc.) on the behavior of an individual that deviates (both in a positive and negative sense) from social expectations, norms and values.... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

AND; and. [from lat. sanctio (sanctionis) inviolable law, the strictest decree] Legal. 1. Statement of something. higher authority, permission. Obtain a warrant for arrest. Give permission for the issue to be published. Detained with the sanction of the prosecutor. 2. Measure,… … Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (lat. institutum establishment, establishment) social structure or the order of social structure that determines the behavior of a certain number of individuals in a particular community. Institutions are characterized by their capabilities... ... Wikipedia

The set of processes in social system(society, social group, organizations, etc.), through which compliance with the definition is ensured. “patterns” of activity, as well as compliance with restrictions on behavior, the violation of which... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

Primary- (Primaries) The concept of primaries, the rules for conducting primaries Information about the concept of primaries, the conduct of primaries, the results of primaries Contents Primaries (primaries), preliminary elections - a type of voting in which one ... ... Investor Encyclopedia

Firm- (Firm) Definition of a company, characteristics and classification of companies Definition of a company, characteristics and classification of companies, concepts of a company Contents Contents Firm Legal forms The concept of a company and entrepreneurship. Basic characteristics and classifications of companies... ... Investor Encyclopedia

SOCIAL-ROLE CONFLICT- a contradiction either between the normative structures of social. roles, or between the structural elements of social. roles. In a complexly differentiated environment, an individual fulfills the requirements of not one, but several roles, in addition, the specific role itself associated with... ... Russian Sociological Encyclopedia

Group norms- [from lat. norma guiding principle, sample] a set of rules and requirements developed by each actually functioning community and playing a role the most important means regulation of the behavior of members of this group, the nature of their relationships,... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

omitted- prisons. slang omitted representative of the lowest group in the informal hierarchy of prisoners, a kind of untouchable caste. You cannot take anything from someone who is lowered, you cannot touch him, you cannot sit on his bunk, etc. Those who are lowered have their own separate places in... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary I. Mostitsky

Formal negative sanctions- one of the tools for maintaining social norms in society.

What is the norm

This term comes from Latin language. Literally means “rule of behavior”, “model”. We all live in a society, in a team. Everyone has their own values, preferences, interests. All this gives the individual certain rights and freedoms. But we must not forget that people live next to each other. This single collective is called society or society. And it is important to know what laws govern the rules of behavior in it. They are called social norms. Formal negative sanctions help ensure compliance.

Types of social norms

Rules of behavior in society are divided into subtypes. This is important to know, because social sanctions and their application depend on them. They are divided into:

• Customs and traditions. They pass from one generation to another over many centuries and even millennia. Weddings, holidays, etc.
• Legal. Enshrined in laws and regulations.
• Religious. Rules of conduct based on faith. Baptismal ceremonies, religious festivals, fasting, etc.
• Aesthetic. Based on feelings about the beautiful and the ugly.
• Political. Regulate political sphere and everything connected with it.

There are also many other norms. For example, etiquette rules, medical standards, safety rules, etc. But we have listed the main ones. Thus, it is a mistake to believe that social sanctions apply only to the legal sphere. Law is only one of the subcategories of social norms.

Deviant behavior

Naturally, all people in society must live according to generally accepted rules. Otherwise there will be chaos and anarchy. But some individuals sometimes stop obeying generally accepted laws. They violate them. This behavior is called deviant or deviant. It is for this that formal negative sanctions are provided.

Types of sanctions

As has already become clear, they are called upon to restore order in society. But it is a mistake to think that sanctions have a negative connotation. That this is something bad. In politics, this term is positioned as a restrictive instrument. There is an incorrect concept that means prohibition, taboo. We can recall and cite as an example recent events and the trade war between Western countries and the Russian Federation.

There are actually four types:

• Formal negative sanctions.
• Informal negative.
• Formal positive.
• Informal positive.

But let’s take a closer look at one type.

Formal negative sanctions: examples of application

It was not by chance that they got this name. Their peculiarities are the following factors:

• Associated with formal manifestation, in contrast to informal ones, which have only an emotional connotation.
• They are used only for deviant (deviant) behavior, in contrast to positive ones, which, on the contrary, are designed to reward the individual for exemplary compliance with social norms.

Let us give a specific example from labor legislation. Let's say citizen Ivanov is an entrepreneur. Several people work for him. In the course of labor relations, Ivanov violates the terms of the labor contract concluded with employees and delays their salaries, arguing that this is due to the crisis in the economy.

Indeed, sales volumes have dropped sharply. The entrepreneur does not have enough funds to cover wage arrears to employees. You might think that he is not guilty and can detain with impunity cash. But in reality this is not the case.

As an entrepreneur, he had to weigh all the risks when carrying out his activities. Otherwise, he is obliged to warn employees about this and begin the appropriate procedures. This is provided for by law. But instead, Ivanov hoped that everything would work out. The workers, of course, did not suspect anything.

When the payment day comes, they find out that there is no money in the cash register. Naturally, their rights are violated (each employee has financial plans for vacation, social Security, possibly certain financial obligations). Workers file a formal complaint with state inspection on labor protection. In this case, the entrepreneur violated the norms of the labor and civil codes. The inspection authorities confirmed this and ordered to pay wages soon. For each day of delay, a certain penalty is now charged in accordance with the refinancing rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. In addition, the inspection authorities imposed an administrative fine on Ivanov for violations labor standards. Such actions will be an example of formal negative sanctions.

Conclusions

But an administrative fine is not the only measure. For example, an employee was severely reprimanded for being late to the office. The formality in this case lies in a specific action - entering it into a personal file. If the consequences for his lateness were limited only to the fact that the director emotionally, in words, reprimanded him, then this would be an example of informal negative sanctions.

But not only in labor relations they apply. In almost all areas, mainly negative formal social sanctions predominate. The exception, of course, is moral and aesthetic norms, rules of etiquette. Violations of these rules are usually followed by informal sanctions. They are emotional in nature. For example, no one will fine a person for not stopping on the highway in forty-degree frost and not taking his mother and mother as a travel companion. infant. Although society may react negatively to this. A barrage of criticism will fall on this citizen, if, of course, this is made public.

But we should not forget that many norms in these areas are enshrined in laws and regulations. This means that for violating them, you can, in addition to informal ones, receive formal negative sanctions in the form of arrests, fines, reprimands, etc. For example, smoking in public places. This is an aesthetic norm, or rather, a deviation from it. It’s not nice to smoke on the street and poison all passers-by with tar. But until recently, only informal sanctions were imposed for this. For example, a grandmother may speak critically of the offender. Today there is a smoking ban - legal norm. For violating it, the individual will be punished with a fine. This shining example transformation of an aesthetic norm into a legal one with formal consequences.

- 124.50 Kb

Sanctions are guardians of norms. Social sanctions are an extensive system of rewards for compliance with norms, and punishments for deviation from them (i.e., deviance).

Fig. 1 Types of social sanctions.

There are four types of sanctions:

Formal positive sanctions- public approval from official organizations, documented in documents with signatures and seals. These include, for example, awarding orders, titles, bonuses, admission to high positions, etc.

Informal positive sanctions- public approval that does not come from official organizations: compliment, smile, fame, applause, etc.

Formal negative sanctions– punishments provided for by laws, instructions, decrees, etc. This means arrest, imprisonment, excommunication, fine, etc.

Informal negative sanctions- punishments not provided for by law - mockery, censure, lecture, neglect, spreading rumors, feuilleton in a newspaper, slander, etc.

Norms and sanctions are combined into one whole. If a norm does not have an accompanying sanction, then it loses its regulatory function. Let's say in the 19th century. In Western European countries, the norm was considered to be the birth of children in a legal marriage. Illegitimate children were excluded from inheriting their parents' property, they could not enter into worthy marriages, and they were neglected in everyday communication. Gradually, as society became more modern, sanctions for violating this norm were excluded, and public opinion softened. As a result, the norm ceased to exist.

3. Mechanisms of action of social control

Social norms by themselves do not control anything. People's behavior is controlled by other people based on norms that are expected to be followed by everyone. Compliance with norms, like compliance with sanctions, makes our behavior predictable. Each of us knows, but for felony- imprisonment. When we expect a certain action from another person, we hope that he knows not only the norm, but also the sanction that follows.

Thus, norms and sanctions are combined into a single whole. If a norm does not have an accompanying sanction, then it ceases to regulate real behavior. It becomes a slogan, a call, an appeal, but it ceases to be an element of social control.

The application of social sanctions in some cases requires the presence of outsiders, but in others it does not. Dismissal is formalized by the personnel department of the institution and involves the preliminary issuance of an order or order. Imprisonment requires a complex judicial process upon which a judgment is made. Bringing to administrative liability, say a fine for traveling without a ticket, requires the presence of an official transport controller, and sometimes a policeman. The awarding of an academic degree involves an equally complex procedure for defending a scientific dissertation and the decision of the academic council. Sanctions against violators of group habits require a smaller number of persons, but, nevertheless, they are never applied to oneself. If the application of sanctions is carried out by the person himself, directed at himself and occurs internally, then this form of control should be considered self-control.

Social control– the most effective tool with the help of which powerful institutions of society organize the life of ordinary citizens. The tools, or in this case methods, of social control are extremely diverse; they depend on the situation, goals and nature of the specific group where they are used. They range from one-on-one showdowns to psychological pressure, physical violence, and economic coercion. It is not necessary that the control mechanisms were aimed at excluding the undesirable person and stimulating the loyalty of others. Most often, it is not the individual himself who is subject to “isolation,” but his actions, statements, and relationships with other persons.

Unlike self-control, external control is a set of institutions and mechanisms that guarantee compliance with generally accepted norms of behavior and laws. It is divided into informal (intragroup) and formal (institutional).

Formal control is based on approval or condemnation from official authorities and administration.

Informal control is based on approval or condemnation from a group of relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as from public opinion, which is expressed through traditions and customs or means mass media.

The traditional rural community controlled all aspects of the lives of its members: the choice of a bride, methods of resolving disputes and conflicts, methods of courtship, choosing the name of a newborn, and much more. There were no written rules. Public opinion, most often expressed by the oldest members of the community, acted as a controller. IN unified system Religion was organically intertwined with social control. Strict observance of rituals and ceremonies associated with traditional holidays and ceremonies (for example, marriage, birth of a child, manhood, betrothal, harvest) fostered a sense of respect for social norms, instilled a deep understanding of their necessity.

In compact primary groups, extremely effective and at the same time very subtle control mechanisms, such as persuasion, ridicule, gossip and contempt, are constantly in operation to curb real and potential deviants. Ridicule and gossip are powerful tools of social control in all types of primary groups. Unlike methods formal control, such as a reprimand or demotion, informal methods are available to almost everyone. Both ridicule and gossip can be manipulated by any intelligent person who has access to their transmission channels.

Not only commercial organizations, but both universities and the church have successfully used economic sanctions to deter their staff from deviant behavior, that is, behavior that is regarded as beyond the bounds of what is acceptable.

Crosby (1975) highlighted four main types of informal control.

Social rewards, manifested as smiles, nods of approval, and measures that promote more tangible benefits (for example, promotion), serve to encourage conformity and implicitly condemn deviance.

Punishment, expressed as a frown, critical remarks and even threats of physical harm, is directly directed against deviant acts and is due to the desire to eradicate them.

Belief represents another way of influencing deviants. A coach can encourage a baseball player who misses practice to stay in shape.

Final, more complex type social control is reassessment of norms– in this case, behavior that was considered deviant is assessed as normal. For example, in the past, if a husband stayed home, did housework, and took care of the children while his wife went to work, his behavior was considered unusual and even deviant. Currently (mainly as a result of women’s struggle for their rights), roles in the family are gradually being reconsidered, and a man’s doing housework is no longer considered reprehensible and shameful.

Informal control can also be exercised by the family, circle of relatives, friends and acquaintances. They are called agents of informal control. If we consider the family as a social institution, then we should talk about it as the most important institution of social control.

Formal control historically arose later than informal control - during the emergence of complex societies and states, in particular the ancient Eastern empires.

Although, undoubtedly, we can easily find its harbingers in more early period- in the so-called identities, where the circle is clearly defined formal sanctions, officially applied to violators, for example, the death penalty, expulsion from the tribe, removal from office, as well as all kinds of rewards.

However, in modern society the importance of formal control has greatly increased. Why? It turns out that in a complex society, especially in a country with a population of millions, it is increasingly difficult to maintain order and stability. Informal control is limited to a small group of people. In a large group it is ineffective. Therefore it is called Local (local). On the contrary, formal control applies throughout the country. It's global.

It is carried out by special people - agents of formal control. These are persons specially trained and paid for performing control functions. They are carriers social statuses and roles. These include judges, police officers, psychiatrists, social workers, special church officials, etc.

If in traditional society While social control was based on unwritten rules, in modern times it is based on written norms: instructions, decrees, regulations, laws. Social control gained institutional support.

Formal control is exercised by such institutions of modern society as courts, education, army, production, media, political parties, government. The school controls through examination grades, the government through the tax system and social assistance to the population. State control is exercised through the police, the secret service, state radio and television channels and the press.

Control methods depending on the sanctions applied are divided into:

• soft;
• straight;
• indirect.

These four control methods may overlap.

Examples:

1. The media are instruments of indirect soft control.
2. Political repression, racketeering, organized crime are tools of direct strict control.
3. The effect of the constitution and the criminal code are instruments of direct soft control.
4. Economic sanctions of the international community - tools of indirect strict control

	Hard	Soft
Direct	pancreas	PM
Indirect	QoL	KM

Fig.2. Typology of formal control methods.

4. Functions of social control

According to A.I. Kravchenko, the mechanism of social control plays an important role in strengthening the institutions of society. The same elements, namely a system of rules and norms of behavior that reinforce and standardize people’s behavior, making it predictable, are included in both a social institution and social control. “Social control is one of the most generally accepted concepts in sociology. It refers to the various means that any society uses to curb its unruly members. No society can do without social control. Even a small group of people who come together by chance will have to develop their own control mechanisms so as not to fall apart in the shortest possible time.”

Thus, A.I. Kravchenko identifies the following functions which perform social control in relation to society:

• protective function;
• stabilizing function.

Description

IN modern world Social control is understood as the supervision of human behavior in society in order to prevent conflicts, restore order and maintain the existing social order. The presence of social control is one of the most important conditions for the normal functioning of the state, as well as compliance with its laws. An ideal society is considered to be one in which each member does what he wants, but at the same time this is what is expected of him and what is required by the state for at the moment. Of course, it is not always easy to force a person to do what society wants him to do.